In a dramatic end to the clash between New Orleans and Tampa Bay, P.J. Williams intercepted Tom Brady‘s throw and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:24 left on the clock, helping the Saints seal a 36-27 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday. However, the night had a bitter-sweet ending for the Saints as their first-choice quarterback Jameis Winston injured his left knee.
Winston was injured during a scramble early in the second quarter when he was pulled down from behind by former LSU star Devin White, who was flagged for a horse-collar tackle.
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“I think it’s significant,” coach Sean Payton said. “He felt something and is on crutches right now. … When he got up and then had to go back down, you were a little concerned.”
Winston’s backup, Trevor Siemian, took over and threw for 159 yards and a score on 16 of 29 passing with no interceptions, leading the Saints on five scoring drives with two touchdowns and three field goals.
Brady threw four touchdown passes, but he also turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions and a fumble, for a total of 16 points.
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The Bucs were on the verge of erasing a 16-point second-half deficit when receiver and former LSU track athlete Cyril Grayson was left uncovered behind the defence and scored a 50-yard touchdown with 5:44 remaining.
With 1:41 remaining, New Orleans rallied with a field goal to take a 29-27 lead, giving Brady, who is no stranger to late comebacks, that much time plus a timeout to win the game. The Saints’ defence, on the other hand, came up huge.
On the first play of the second half, Siemian connected with Kevin White for a 38-yard gain, extending New Orleans’ lead to 23-7. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Alvin Kamara capped it off with a scoring run on a pitch play.